


Opposites attract

by Lazy_Queen



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: AO3 1 Million, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Characters Writing Fanfiction, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-17
Updated: 2014-02-17
Packaged: 2018-01-12 13:00:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1186509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lazy_Queen/pseuds/Lazy_Queen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur was a jocker. Merlin was a geek.<br/>Can I make it anymore obvious?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Opposites attract

**Author's Note:**

> Oh god, how can I do this kind of thing? I just wanted to do something and them BOOOM! things just sort of, came.  
> Thank you for existing my muse.  
> Hope you like it :)
> 
> *warning: this story doesn't have a beta. If you're interested in helping a fellow fangirl, please comment*

Merlin Emrys always has been one of  _those_ guys.

 _Geeks_.

He likes to walk around with one or two books under his arm, headphones stuck in overlarge ears, half covered by dark messy hair and watch and re-watch Doctor Who episodes. But even being that he can also be one of the smartest students in University, and be in second place on his Medical course.

And that's something Arthur can't understand.

Arthur is the athlete type. A jocker. He loves the feeling of the ball beside his feet, the physical exertion he gets after a good match and the feeling of sun kissing his skin and blond hair. But he keeps his grades up, often pulling all nighters just so he can feel the approval on his father's voice when he tells him ' _Very good, Arthur'._

And a thought they're completely opposites, GeeksXJockers, MedXBusiness, DarkXBlond... even thought, they're still hopeless in love.

* * *

Their first interaction wasn't even face to face, if you have to know. Morgana had made him enter in this site called Ao3 and read a  _fanfic_. She has been into that lately, he finds out not long before being coerced to read one.

The name of the fic is Once and Future, and the author name is Magic_Fingers.  _Cheesy_ , he thinks, but with the intimidating presence of Morgana behind him, he hurries to read.

It's surprisingly  _good_. It's a Kirk/Spock fic with a bit of Doctor Who in it. It shouldn't work, but it does. Soon Arthur gets so hooked, he doesn't even notice the smug smile on his half-sister's face. Shit, forget good, it's  _great_! There's romance, yes of course, but a whole lot of action, and good porn, and it makes  _sense_ , even for those who aren't Trek or Who fans.

He thinks he understand now that magic fingers might not be very far from it.

"He's one of our classmates, you know." he hears Morgana say, and snaps from the spell the end of the story had left him in.

"Who?"

"The author. And one of my friends." she addeds as if an after thought.

"Really?" he wants to seems nonchalant, but can't keep the facade. He thinks back to what she said and repeats "He?"

"Yup." the smug smile comes back, and Arthur just thinks,  _damn_.

* * *

They go to the local pub, The Raising Sun. It's friday, so Arthur can't find an excuse not to got unless he's in critical health condition, like pneumonia or high on fever and Morgana always knows when he's lying. After all, they share a flat. It started being for convenience's sake, wanting to own their own place, and getting out of their father's high expectations. But in those mornings she wakes him up with sounds of the crazy sex she and Leon - his best friend Leon - do, he forgets how much he loves her, and only thinks how she's such a bitch.

Back to the pub, they came in and Morgana already runs to greet her friends, the lovely Gwen from Fashion course who is usually Morgana's partner in class, her boyfriend Lance who is studing to be a journalist, Gwaine, who is a part-time model and doing Photography, Leon, who does Business with Arthur, and Merlin, Morgana's Medical student friend who is convieniently next to the only sit available left. _That witch_ , Arthur thinks as he sits down, _always trying her hand on matchmaking_.

Merlin is a tall and lanky kind of guy. He's pale and has dark messy hair that needs a cut and curls on the back of his neck in a endearing sort of way - thing Arthur notices when he leans forward to pick up his drink - and gangly limbs that are unusually grateful at moments. His longs fingers describe arcs when he talks about a subject his interested in, and Arthur is  _not besotted_. He picks his drink up and downs a gulp. Absolutely not.

Right then Morgana looks at him and smirks, as if she could read his mind.

"So, Merlin." Arthur frowns at her tatics but smothes it out when Merlin turns to give her his attention "I've read your last fic. Absolutely gorgeous."  _oh boy_ , Arthur thinks when Merlin goes red, with a embarassed proud look on his eyes "Your characterization is perfect as always and no plot holes too! I abhor those."

"Thank you, Morgana."and his voice is smooth, but full of feeling. Alive. "I'm in a Cherik wave know. You know, with the release of X-Men First Class and all that."

Arthur knows it too. Even though he isn't a _fanboy_ per see, he isn't oblivious either. There's obvious sexual tension between Professor X and Magneto. And it doesn't hurt that James McAvoy is kind of his type and Michael Fassbender has killing cheekbones. And they're hot together.

"I know what you mean. But even Arthur liked it, and he's picky about his reading material. And you did that one in the middle of your finals." she shakes her head in admiration and Arthur is more than a bit shocked that  _Morgana_ of all people admires someone who isn't a feminist or won some Nobel prize, almost not conecting that he _did_ read a  X-Men fic but it was from  _Magic_Fingers_ and that would mean that _Merlin_ is  _Magic_Fingers_ , and  _that_ would mean that Arthur has a major crush on _Merlin_. Who Arthur is currently sitting beside of and is currently smiling a lovely smile that makes his already striking blue eyes shine even more and turn to  _look_ at Arthur.

Arthur is going to skin Morgana alive. After he gets his blood pression under control again.

"Really?" and there's a raised eyebrow adding his dubious tone that Arthur just  _knows_ he copied from his mentor Gaius who is also Uther oldest friend. "Didn't take you for a fanfic reader kind of guy."

"I wasn't." Arthur manages to say "But Morgana can be extremely convincing" and has plenty of blackmail material on him "and I actually found it quite pleasant. Your other works were also pretty good."

Merlin seems pleased.

"So you've read others." he beames and Arthur has to take another gulp before answering the implied question mark with a "Yes." and from then on they kept a pretty good conversation, switching from fanfic to movies and books, leading to hobbies, ending up with the cliché question _What are your plans for the future?._ Arthur finds he likes Merlin, and that his cyber crush is bearing on platonic. When Morgana tells them it's time to go, Arthur and Merlin are both visibly startled that it's so late. They didn't get to drink much, so it's just a pleasant alcohol buzz, nothing that justificates them leaning a bit on each other as they wait for Merlin's taxi, Leon and Morgana lightly making out behind them, the four of them having been the last ones left. Arthur doesn't think about what that means, Leon going to their flat for the night, instead being too immersed in Merlin's body warmth, that he can feels through their layers of clothes from the points their body are touching.

Merlin takes his phone out of his pocket to check the time and as the screens lightens up, Arthur is taken with a strange urge to do something reckless.

Hastily he takes the thing out of his hands, not unkindly, and quickly saves his number, giving it back to Merlin who eyes have widen in confusion at the exchange.

"Just to be sure." Arthur says, and he feels his cheeks get hot and hopes that Merlin thinks it's just from the cold and not, say, embarassment.

"Okay." he smiles shyly, ducking his head.

Right then, the taxi arives, and Merlin get's in, giving his address to the driver before turning to Arthur one last time. His eyes are startling blue in the lamp post lights. He seems to want to say something, so Arthur comes closer. Without warning, Merlin kisses him, and Arthur has just the time to be surprised before he is already pulling out, and closing the door. The car takes out, and Arthur is left in the sidewalk, dazely touching his lips and still feeling the ghost of Merlin's lips on him. Behind him, Leon taps his shoulder.

"Came on, my arse is freezing." and as he makes no move to follow him, he teases "Lover boy."

That takes a reaction out of him. Arthur  _blushes_.

"Oh, this is  _perfect!_ " he hears Morgana say. _  
_

* * *

The first text cames at noon and is a simple  _'Hello'_ , but to Arthur, who couldn't quite sleep well after the kiss and is already overreacting and sending Morgana climbing on the walls it had been past the time. Arthur sends back a ' _Hello. What's up?_ ' and promptly hits his head on his desk. _  
_

' _B_ _runch. Have just woken up. You?_ ' And Arthur calls himself foolish, of course Merlin was still sleeping because as Morgana often says " _Not everyone is a morning person like you, Arthur_ ".

' _Nothing, really. Btw leftovers and take-out_ '

' _Not really healthy choices :) '_

' _Well, I'm not really the cooking type. Morgana actually forbid me from going near the kitchen with cooking intentions._ '

' _Really? You seems like the type to know how to do everything._ '

' _I'M NOT! Just because I like to do things in the right way doesn't mean anything._ ' _  
_

' _LOL, ok_ '

Arthur doesn't know how to answer that, so he just goes to put the leftovers of a pizza in the microwave and when he gets back with a plate, hears his phone sign that there's a new message.

' _So.'_ says the message ' _I feel like a thirteen teen girl. I mean, you're ridiculously hot.'_

Arthur smiles at that, red cheeked and sends back a ' _Me too_ ' his stomach actually feeling with butterflies and before he can think over he texts ' _Dinner?'_

' _Starving_ ' is the text he gets not even three seconds later and laughs at the quote.

' _Well, not actually starving, as I have just eaten but-_ ' _  
_

' _No, I get it. So you're a Sherlockian too, hm?_ '

' _Yup. I mean, I do love Moffat's plots and Benedict Cumberbatch is just..._ '

' _Do I have to be concerned?_ '

' _No._ _'_ is the lightning fast answer and Arthur is so caught up that he doesn't notice the happy smile Morgana sends him from the corner of the living room's sofa.

* * *

It's not easy, after all they are opposites, and each have their demons, Arthur his mother early death, his father's distance and Merlin his overconcervative small childhood town that resented him for being gay, added by his bad break up with his best friend Will and knowing later that he died in a car accident not long after.

But they cope. They fight, they break-up, they get back and have amazing make-up sex. And in the end they're happy together.

Years later, Arthur still won't understand how they fit so well together. But it won't matter anymore, because he accepts that they just do.


End file.
